The Path Cut by the Moon
by Syster
Summary: Something is going on at the precinct & Castle is determined to figure out what it is. Warning: This is most likely going to be a Ryan/Esposito/Jenny story.
1. Chapter 1

Detective Javier Esposito sat, staring off into space, not even noticing that his cellphone was trilling at him insistently. He had been acting strangely for the last couple of days and his partner Kevin Ryan was worried about him.

"Hey Javi?" Ryan flicked a ball of paper at him from the corner of his desk that hit him in the nose.

"Huh? Wha?" Esposito jerked upright, startled out of his daydream.

"Your phone wants your attention" Ryan told him in amusement.

"Oh right…" checking the screen it was as if a shadow fell over his face, his stood up from the desk "I uh… gotta take this." he said distractedly and headed to the men's room.

Ryan watched him dash away with a puzzled look on his face.

* * *

Unknown to Esposito, a certain crime writer by the name of Rick Castle was hidden in one of the stalls. He had entered the bathroom to write some quick, sneaky notes about Beckett to incorporate into his next Nikki Heat novel.

Castle didn't mean to eavesdrop, he really didn't, he almost called out to let Esposito know he was there, but something in the Detective's tone stopped him and he just stayed quiet as he listened to the one sided conversation.

"Hey, are you okay?" a worried sounding Espo answered his phone

"Fuck. Are you sure?" Castle heard a soft rustling sound and could see Esposito running a frustrated hand through his hair in his mind's eye.

"What about Ryan?"

Listening hard, Rick could make out that the person on the other end of the phone was a female, a distressed sounding female, but he couldn't make out any individual words.

Esposito sounded agitated now. "He's YOUR boyfriend"

"Yeah, but things are different now, you… you're pregnant with my child!" he hissed.

"I can't… I can't do this to him. He's my…" he sighed deeply forcing himself to calm down.

"Yeah and you, too."

"No really, I'm sorry, I just… I need some time to think about this before we do anything yeah?"

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon. No not tonight, I need some time to think."

"Oh and Jenny?"

"I'm sorry."

Castle sat in stunned silence on the closed toilet seat for a good 10 minutes after Esposito had ended his call and left the bathroom.

* * *

"Yo Beckett, I'm done for the day!" Esposito growled as he stormed out of the precinct without looking up at his boss or saying goodbye to Ryan. Who looked like a small kicked puppy, sitting at his desk and watching his partner leave with big sad eyes.

"What's wrong with Esposito?" Beckett asked as a somewhat shaken looking Castle took his normal seat by her desk biting on his fist and looking ready to burst. "And what's wrong with you for that matter?"

"Jenny's pregnant!" He choked out. He couldn't keep something like this to himself, he just couldn't.

"Jenny? Ryan's Jenny?" she confirmed at his frantic nodding "What's that got to do with Esposito?"

He paused for a dramatic Castle-like pause. "He's the father!"

Beckett sloshed coffee over the side of the mug she was clutching onto the desk as she gaped at him in shock.

"Well…

Shit."

TBC.

**AN: I don't want to give too much away right now, but I promise this is going to be a Ryan/Esposito/(possibly)Jenny fic at some stage… depending on where I take it. I'm not sure where it's going to go yet... what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

When Ryan got home to the apartment he shared with Jenny, he was beyond confused. Esposito had been quiet and despondent for the last few of days and seemed to be avoiding him as much as possible.

Jenny greeted him warmly with a hug and a kiss and he thought (not for the first time) that he was really glad that she had been brought into his life. As Jenny made dinner, Ryan tried to relax on the couch.

"Hey Kev?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Javi coming over tonight?" she asked, watching him carefully for his reaction.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly "I don't think so hon"

"How did he seem today?" she leaned over the back of the couch and rested her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

"Worse than yesterday, just really distant and he won't talk to me. I'm worried about him…"

"Maybe you should go over there?" she suggested.

"You know I would if I thought it would help, but I really think we should give him some space and let him tell us whatever it is when he's ready."

She pressed a kiss to the side of his head as he continued "You know what he's like, if we push he'll just clam up even more."

She nodded, she did know that would be Javier's most likely reaction "Jen, are you ok? You've been on edge the last few days too…"

Jenny felt really guilty to pretend that she didn't know what was going on, but she had promised Javier that she wouldn't say anything to Ryan until he had the chance to explain...

"Yeah I'm… I'm fine." she said pulling away from him. She could tell that Kevin didn't believe it, but didn't want to push _her_ either. "Just worried about Javi" she added, as she moved back into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

Ryan flicked on the tv, but he couldn't pay attention to what was on the screen. Something was up with the two people he cared about most… he just had to figure out what it was.

* * *

Esposito had been walking the streets aimlessly in an attempt to clear his head and decide what he was going to do. There was a lump in his throat that just wouldn't go away and he felt physically sick to his stomach. What he really wanted to do was talk to his partner, they told each other almost everything, but this time he didn't know how he could after… He didn't want Ryan to hate him an he was sure that there was no way this situation could end well. Ryan was going to feel betrayed and hurt and Esposito just didn't want to hurt him in any way. He loved Ryan, really loved him, but he knew that him getting Jenny pregnant was going to be the end of everything good between them. Ryan really wanted kids - that he knew, but he wanted HIS kid, his and Jenny's kids. Not Jenny & Esposito's kid.

* * *

The next day Esposito was quiet, but things were a little better. He mumbled a "good morning" when Ryan showed up and gave him a soft "thanks" when Ryan handed him a hot cup of coffee - just the way he liked it.

He was contemplating another attempt at conversation with his partner when Kate called over to him "Ryan, Uniforms just picked up our guy. Can you go and interview him please?" But when Esposito got up to go with him - like he always did - she stopped him.

"Not you Detective Esposito." She told him, not looking at him. "You are desk-bound this week."

"What?" he paused, looking at her in confusion.

"What? Why?" Ryan protested.

"We've had so many new cases lately, someone needs to finish off the paperwork and file everything properly."

"You want him to be a…a… secretary for a week?"

She had always liked Esposito, they worked well together and she had thought that he was very loyal and honourable. But truthfully (and she felt a little wrong for doing it) she couldn't understand - as close as Ryan & Esposito were - how he could do what he was doing to his best friend and felt the need to dish out a little punishment of her own.

So she avoided Ryan's gaze and got back to work. "It won't kill him Ryan."

Esposito looked at her warily before sinking back down into his desk chair without protest.

"Javi, are you just…?" Ryan started.

"Go Ryan, interview the suspect." he said quietly, monotone.

"But…"

"Just go."

* * *

The next couple of days were very much the same. Beckett would keep making little digs at Esposito, he would just take it and do whatever she asked of him quietly without protest and Ryan would keep glaring daggers at Kate every time she did it.

On a personal level things were also very much the same. Esposito made minimal conversation with Ryan and always kept it about work. Ryan made a deal with Jenny that if he hadn't let up by the end of the week, he was going to do something drastic.

* * *

At the end of day 3 of Kate's sniping at Esposito he'd had enough and cornered her by the coffee machine in the break room.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure Ryan, what's up?" she said, sipping at her coffee.

"What are you doing to him Beckett? Can't you see that something is _wrong_ with him?" he couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.

"He can take it." she shrugged.

"What the fuck Kate? Do you know something?" She was usually more professional than to hold a grudge against a co-worker.

"You need to ask him yourself."

"Oh _now_ you won't get involved? What the hell did he do to you?" He knew that he shouldn't be talking to his boss like he was, but he was beyond the point of caring.

"He hasn't done anything to _me_." she said simply, before heading back to her desk. 

**AN: All of this is unbeta'd so please forgive any mistakes. **

**This chapter was hard for me to write because I just want them to be fluffily happy all the time, and to drag out their dilemma is very difficult. **

**Let me know what you think. **


End file.
